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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 5, 2013 12:13:22 GMT -5
Wow, some really cool and terrific covers so far. The Hawkeye/Ant Man cover is so iconic now, absolutely love it. Black Knight is one of my favorite all-time Avengers and those are some excellent choices. His face shot on the Anniversary issue was quite the surprise but well appreciated and loved. #225 is a great cover but I've always liked #226 as well: Just the way he sits astride his flying horse, poised to attack, great action scene. To go back for a moment, a favorite Thor cover of mine has always been #174: It's a terrific action scene, but there's just something about the way Thor is deflecting those blasts, it's subtle but I think it speaks well of the team's 'never-give-up' mentality. That, and Hawkeye's positioning is just awesome!
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 5, 2013 23:51:02 GMT -5
A fan favorite - The Black Panther Another 1st appearance makes my list but this one isn't the usual big image with floating heads or people. I actually like though that it shows the Panther coming to the rescue. It's also just a generally eye-catching cover. What's up with T'Challa and yellow backgrounds? Another nice cover though. I considered a couple of other options for my 3rd choice but went with this because this issue always comes to my mind when I think about the Panther in the Avengers. Maybe that's just because it's around the time I started reading and was my first strong impression of the character. I do like the crouched panther-like position though and that it is, yet again, T'Challa coming in to save the day.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 6, 2013 6:55:34 GMT -5
But. . . but not issue #62, SW? Although I guess it's not a particularly memorable image of the BP himself-- still, it's quite an interesting cover w/ lots of neat "notables". The John B art is a given positive. The floating heads in the rising vapor is a total hoot! The sort of irregular honeycomb that JB came up with to represent-- what, the radioactive pile, or something?-- has always stuck with me as an image of something molten, and lethal, and brimming with potential power. . . but when you look at it with complete detachment, it's actually kind of funny-looking. Great trick on JB's part to pull that off. I also liked this short-lived logo-- I was kind of surprised it didn't stick around longer. It has a sort of Boxing Card feel to it. Boy-- could the Man-Ape even be introduced as a character in this day and age? I'm looking at him now and cuh-RINGEING at the political incorrectness he represents. And I don't think I'm being oversensitive in that regard. A big, brutish, malevolant black African man dressed in the skin of an ape? Really?? (I do have to say that his face protruding from the ape's gaping jaws was always a disconcerting effect, though. And man, that must have been murder to draw and make it look right. . . ) HB
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 6, 2013 22:29:28 GMT -5
This was a tough one for me. The Vision is one of the most visually exciting characters in the MU and many of his cover appearances are really cool but I don't think that most of his singled out covers are necessarily his best. I settled on these three but have several others that I wouldn't be surprised to see show up. This first one was a no-brainer. One of the classic covers of all time. This also almost made the list for Thor. It's a great cover and nicely shows the Vision in action in a pose that only works for him. I don't think this is a particular great cover but the image is so pivotol to the development of the character and who he became.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 7, 2013 6:00:33 GMT -5
There are indeed a few more good ones for Vizh that come to mind, SW-- but here's the first one I thought of: In a way, it's notable because the moment depicted is, if anything, even more intense in the pages within. One of those most-memorable moments ever for this character. HB
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 7, 2013 16:14:35 GMT -5
There were some intense Vision covers in the course of his power trip storyline c. 240s, but I've always been partial to this one. He's just putting the hammer down on old Claw:
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 7, 2013 18:10:00 GMT -5
Boy, you start going through the galleries, and Vizh is in fact one of the most-featured members, isn't he? Makes you lament the years-long stretches that he wasn't being used. . . I liked this cover a lot, even though it came during a lesser-art period (this logo never grabbed me, either): And this one, of course, was the issue where we got John B back on the art chores. What a happy memory! Here we were hoping that maybe we were gonna get something like "our" Vision back again from the Byrne Ward. . . And then finally, a pretty darned good, privately-intense cover figure. Liked this one a lot. And there are still a few more out there that we haven't included yet. Good ol' Vizh-- HB
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Post by sharkar on Mar 7, 2013 21:49:04 GMT -5
Say, SW, did you happen to notice that Wanda appears to be the only member that's been dominantly portrayed on three consecutive covers? (At least I think so-- I must admit my search was NOT incredibly in-depth. . . ;D) Ah, no need to conduct an in-depth search, my friend--didn't you yourself comment a few posts earlier that Hank as Goliath dominated the covers upon his return to the Avengers? So...how about (for example) #28, #29 and #30? IMO #30's cover was basically a clone of #28...Kirby kind of taking it easy. Not that I blame him--he was regularly penciling at least 3 features back then (FF, Thor, Cap)--in addition to doing layouts plus covers!
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 7, 2013 22:02:28 GMT -5
I just loved the Beast as an Avenger. Fun characters are always my favorites. I will admit though, that in addition to some great covers, he also had a couple of rotten ones. Nice strong image. This idea of the new guy on the team coming to the rescue when everyone else is down seems to be a popular one. I hate that Hank had to share his entrance with Moondragon, who I never much cared for, but at least he comes across much better on this cover. It may seem strange to chose a cover that only shows the character from the back, but the body language on this one exemplifies the Beast's personality without even needing his face. This is the first time I've chosen all three covers from a less than 10 issue span but maybe it's simply because I love this era so much. Oh, and Hank looks really cool.
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Post by sharkar on Mar 7, 2013 22:23:41 GMT -5
Most of my favorite Wanda covers have already been posted, but here are some others that I've always liked. I love her classic look: scarlet/pink costume, headdress, and that gorgeous, cascading wavy hair. She's instantly identifiable. Some more Wanda favorite covers. Yes, I know she's portrayed here as the typical damsel in distress/helpless victim, but Buscema just draws her so beautifully. These two covers are also among my favorites for Pietro and Vision. Love Wanda and Cap on this cover. I loved this dreamlike Maleev cover so much I bought 2 copies of it when it came out. The cover was so striking--too bad inside that issue Maleev gave us -- Wandgelina!
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 8, 2013 14:43:54 GMT -5
the Beast ... also had a couple of rotten ones. "Rotton ones" immediately conjured up the image of the 209/Resurrection Stone cover. I won't paste it so spare others the pain. Rarely has a great character been tortured so by a cover artist. Yeccchhhh.
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 8, 2013 19:57:48 GMT -5
I said earlier that I probably wouldn't stick with he chronological order and I haven't. The Beast jumped in front of a couple of folks and isn't that just like him? The Black Widow was around in the very early days but didn't join till much later. Her covers aren't that impressive but IMO she wasn't that impressive as a member anyway. That's why I was surprised by how much I loved her in the movie. Anyway, here she is: Nice cover. Better for Valkyrie than the Black Widow but okay. This is the story that finally let her become an Avenger. Of course, she was gone again almost instantly but it was official. I know already used this one for Hercules but it actually pictures Natasha even better.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 8, 2013 22:02:54 GMT -5
Say, SW, did you happen to notice that Wanda appears to be the only member that's been dominantly portrayed on three consecutive covers? (At least I think so-- I must admit my search was NOT incredibly in-depth. . . ;D) Ah, no need to conduct an in-depth search, my friend--didn't you yourself comment a few posts earlier that Hank as Goliath dominated the covers upon his return to the Avengers? So...how about (for example) #28, #29 and #30? IMO #30's cover was basically a clone of #28...Kirby kind of taking it easy. Not that I blame him--he was regularly penciling at least 3 features back then (FF, Thor, Cap)--in addition to doing layouts plus covers! Oho-ho-ho-ho! Holy cats-- I did indeed make that very observation, didn't I? Ha! I've somehow got myself in the position of being at odds with myself-! Who will prove to be more correct? Me, or. . .uh, me? ;D ;D (Or perhaps neither-?) And really, upon going back and looking again, Hank is the dominant figure for the next FIVE covers as well: #31-35. I imagine it was an irresisitable temptation to keep drawing that one giant guy in a particularly cool costume (still one of my favorites). He does make a striking cover figure. HB
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 8, 2013 23:15:11 GMT -5
Oho-ho-ho-ho! Holy cats-- I did indeed make that very observation, didn't I? Ha! I've somehow got myself in the position of being at odds with myself-! Who will prove to be more correct? Me, or. . .uh, me? ;D ;D (Or perhaps neither-?) Don't you worry HB. My money firmly on you.
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 10, 2013 0:11:29 GMT -5
When I say that the next person up is Captain Marvel, it can be a little confusing. I am, of course, talking about the original. There really weren't many covers to choose from though. This was the most memorable CM cover. You'd think that someone so powerful would have more covers where he was held captive. Finally. He doesn't exactly dominate this cover but at least he's fighting, not held captive.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 10, 2013 7:11:56 GMT -5
Something I noticed about Mar-Vell the last time I read through the Avengers run is that you really never have a sense of his belonging to the group. . . of being an Avenger. Although that whole Thanos War thing (is that the right name?) from his book concludes in the Avengers, SO MUCH of it happens in CAPTAIN MARVEL, that you're never aware of just what, exactly, his status on or with the team is. I've always had this feeling that I missed a memo somewhere about it.
HB
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 10, 2013 9:00:12 GMT -5
Something I noticed about Mar-Vell the last time I read through the Avengers run is that you really never have a sense of his belonging to the group. . . of being an Avenger. Although that whole Thanos War thing (is that the right name?) from his book concludes in the Avengers, SO MUCH of it happens in CAPTAIN MARVEL, that you're never aware of just what, exactly, his status on or with the team is. I've always had this feeling that I missed a memo somewhere about it. HB I feel exactly the same way. I've never read a single issue of his book but it's clear from his limited appearances in Avengers that he had many more dealings with the team. This is also clear in the "Death of Captain Marvel" graphic novel. I've been curious about his involvement but, admittedly, not enough to go out and find his books.
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 10, 2013 22:35:54 GMT -5
And now, a favorite character ... at least if your name is Steve Englehart: Mantis A pretty cool first cover but also a little strange. Why are the Swordsman and "This One" so big? This was my favorite Mantis cover by a long shot. If there was much to chose from, this one (No pun intended) wouldn't make the list. I think it actually comes across as a little hokey.
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Post by ultron69 on Mar 11, 2013 8:41:47 GMT -5
Something I noticed about Mar-Vell the last time I read through the Avengers run is that you really never have a sense of his belonging to the group. . . of being an Avenger. Although that whole Thanos War thing (is that the right name?) from his book concludes in the Avengers, SO MUCH of it happens in CAPTAIN MARVEL, that you're never aware of just what, exactly, his status on or with the team is. I've always had this feeling that I missed a memo somewhere about it. HB I feel exactly the same way. I've never read a single issue of his book but it's clear from his limited appearances in Avengers that he had many more dealings with the team. This is also clear in the "Death of Captain Marvel" graphic novel. I've been curious about his involvement but, admittedly, not enough to go out and find his books. Was Mar-Vell ever actually an official Avenger? For some reason, I think of him only as a reserve member.
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 11, 2013 8:42:29 GMT -5
She's like a footnote on the cover, but when I think about Mantis I always think about Giant-Size Avengers #4.
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Post by ultron69 on Mar 11, 2013 8:49:44 GMT -5
And now, a favorite character ... at least if your name is Steve Englehart: Mantis A pretty cool first cover but also a little strange. Why are the Swordsman and "This One" so big? They sure are big. It reminds me of this classic cover. This was my favorite Mantis cover by a long shot. Yes, that is a pretty cool one. Mantis looks badass here.
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 11, 2013 13:34:25 GMT -5
wikipedia, citing The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe #1, says his membership was awarded posthumously.
Earth's Mightiest Fan Page has him as "Honorary member, deceased"
marvel.com has him as honorary also.
Which, taken together, is my way of saying "I don't know."
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 11, 2013 13:36:24 GMT -5
quote fail -- this was in reply to ultron69 re: Mar-Vell
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Post by spiderwasp on Mar 11, 2013 19:21:13 GMT -5
This is not one of my favorite Avengers by a long shot but I'm trying to include everyone - Moondragon This was Moony's best cover. Of course, that's just because it was a great cover in general and she just happened to be on it. Another nice cover that she just happened to be on. She doesn't exactly dominate this cover but it's the one storyline I really liked her in so that makes it my favorite.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 11, 2013 19:55:04 GMT -5
This is not one of my favorite Avengers by a long shot but I'm trying to include everyone - Moondragon This was Moony's best cover. Of course, that's just because it was a great cover in general and she just happened to be on it. Another nice cover that she just happened to be on. She doesn't exactly dominate this cover but it's the one storyline I really liked her in so that makes it my favorite. Interestingly, the one storyline where she was particularly a dominant player (albeit as an antagonist, and not really an Avenger), she's not represented in a particularly memorable or even identifiable fashion on either cover: She's a floating head on one. . . . . . and a wall decoration on the other. Heh-- it's the exact kind of casual dismissiveness that would have made the character cuh-RAZY!!! HB
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 11, 2013 20:21:04 GMT -5
wikipedia, citing The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe #1, says his membership was awarded posthumously. Earth's Mightiest Fan Page has him as "Honorary member, deceased" marvel.com has him as honorary also. Which, taken together, is my way of saying "I don't know." This is more like what I always thought was the case. I've tended to give a LOT of benefit of the doubt to what the long-running Thanos/Avengers arc in his own book must have contained. The Kree-Skrull War was a little dicey, since I think he was a captive for a lot of it, wasn't he? And then ultimately there was the Rick Jones connection-- "If my sidekick is also an Avengers sidekick, then I too must be an Avenger", or something like that. HB
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 21:09:58 GMT -5
This may come off as being a tad creepy, but one of my favorite Vision/Scarlet Witch covers is : A cool image, but also makes my skin crawl. Another favorite Vizh/Wanda cover that, for me, sums up their relationship:
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Mar 12, 2013 7:08:29 GMT -5
This is not one of my favorite Avengers by a long shot but I'm trying to include everyone - Moondragon This was Moony's best cover. Of course, that's just because it was a great cover in general and she just happened to be on it. Another nice cover that she just happened to be on. She doesn't exactly dominate this cover but it's the one storyline I really liked her in so that makes it my favorite. Interestingly, the one storyline where she was particularly a dominant player (albeit as an antagonist, and not really an Avenger), she's not represented in a particularly memorable or even identifiable fashion on either cover: She's a floating head on one. . . . . . and a wall decoration on the other. Heh-- it's the exact kind of casual dismissiveness that would have made the character cuh-RAZY!!! HB As I'm sure most of us remember, by that story arch's time, the team consisted of just 4 Avengers: Jan, Cap, Shellhead and Thor. I'm not sure why, but this roster is one of my favorites. Sadly, I'm pretty much sure I stand alone when it comes to this. ;D
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Post by wundagoreborn on Mar 12, 2013 10:31:16 GMT -5
It's interesting to contrast that 220 line-up with the big group in 150 above. A 'four founders' line-up has a lot to recommend it. But I'm brainwashed about 6 as the magic number.
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Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Mar 12, 2013 13:29:06 GMT -5
Say, wundagore, do you live in California...? Near to where the Avengers' Compound is/was supposed to be...?
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